THE ANNALS 

 MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



[FOURTH SERIES.] 



" per litora spargite muscnra. 



Naiades, ct circhm vitrros consitlito fontcs: 

 Pollice virgineo tencroB hio carpito flores: 

 Floribus ct pictum, divsB, replete canistriim. 

 At V08, o NyiBpliae Cniteriiles, ite sub umlas 

 Ite, rec-urvato variata corallia trunco 

 Vellite niusoosig e rnpibus, et milii eonohas 

 Perte, Dea> peliigi, et pingui conchylia sueeo." 



N.Partheiiii Gianneftatii Kol. 1, 



No. 109. JANUARY 1877. 



I. — On Stauronema, a new Genus of Fossil IlexactineJlid 

 Sponges^ with a Description of its tico Species, S. Carter! 

 and 8. loLata. By W. J. Sollas, B.A., F.G.S., &c. 



[Plates I.-V.] 



Oscar Scii^riDT's remark, " Die Beliandlung der fossilen 

 Schwiimme durch die Geognosten und Paliiontologen ist eine 

 grausliche," has the merit of being strictly true, though in 

 tairness it ought to be added that the geologists and palaeon- 

 tologists are not wholly to blame for this treatment, since 

 most of their work was done before Schmidt's books had been 

 written, before the Hexactinellidaj and LithistidjB (which would 

 have thrown light on their labours) had been discovered, and 

 at a time, one may add, when the sponges in general were the 

 outcasts of the animal kingdom. 



To understand aright the fossil sponges, one must obtain a 

 thorough knowledge first of the minute structure of these 

 bodies tlicmselves, and next of the structure and classification 

 of existing forms. Tlie older observers were without the 

 means of acquiring either of these essentials ; they conse- 

 quently, in their attempts at a classification of fossil sponges, 

 were compelled to fall back upon external characters alone, with 

 the addition of what internal features might chance to be 

 revealed by a happy fracture ; and since, as we now know, 

 different genera of sponges may assume the same form, and 

 diverse forms may belong to the same genus or even to the 



Ann. (Us Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 4. Vol. xix. 1 



